Van Pelt
Van Pelt is the main antagonist of the 1995 fantasy film, Jumanji. A hunter who resides within the cursed board game, he wears a Hunter's uniform with a Pith Helmet. He was portrayed by Jonathan Hyde in the movie (who also played Alan's father, Sam Parrish in the film), and voiced by Sherman Howard in the animated series. Role Film Van Pelt is first introduced after one of Alan's turns on Jumanji, which releases the hunter, who immediately begins chasing him. He tells Sarah that he did not shoot her because "You didn't roll the dice. Alan did" implying he is hunting down Alan because Alan released him from the game (as part of the rules). It can also be noted that part of the reason why Van Pelt is hunting him down because Alan is not man enough to face him, since Alan is always running away from him like a coward. After he runs out of bullets, he switches his weapon at a gun shop with a sniper because his previous weapon's bullets had stopped being produced years ago. He tries to shoot Alan from a distance when he is taken in by a police officer (his childhood friend), then chases after Sarah and the kids to steal the game so Alan will come to him for it, but his plan is once again foiled by Peter. His next appearance is at the climax, when he holds both Alan and Sarah at gunpoint when he is about to throw the dices. When Van Pelt tells him to drop the dice, he orders Alan to start running again so that he can chase him. However, Alan refuses to run off this time, admitting that even though he's still scared, he no longer finds in his heart to run away from what's he afraid of and instead face it to get it over with. Amazed, Van Pelt acknowledges Alan of acting like a real man, and ask for any last words before he pulls the trigger. It was then the dice gave in the right number that allows Alan to win the game, and once he says "Jumanji", all of the animals and dangers of the game are sucked back into it by tornado-force winds, including Van Pelt himself, much to his dismay. Animated Series Van Pelt lives within the Jumanji board game. An accomplished Big Game Hunter Van Pelt seeks to kills Alan in order to complete his collection of trophies. Van Pelt is a central part of the game, and is always present. If he is defeated then whoever defeated him must take his place as the hunter of Jumanji. Reformatted Main Article: Russel Van Pelt When Jumanji transformed itself into a video game, Van Pelt transformed with it. No longer a big game hunter, Van Pelt was now a former colleague of Smolder Bravestone, Van Pelt seeks control over Jumanji, having gained power over the fauna of Jumanji though the Jaguar's Eye. Trivia *Van Pelt is carved into the top left corner of the cover of Jumanji making him one of the game's main dangers. *In the animated series, Van was impaled by a rhino horn and didn't die, making him unable to be defeated by conventional means, however even if he is defeated, the one who defeated him is forced to take his place as the hunter. Van Pelt is the main antagonist in Jumanji. A hunter who resides within the cursed board game, he wears a Hunter's uniform with a Pith Helmet. He was portrayed by Jonathan Hyde in the movie, and voiced by Sherman Howard in the animated series. Role Film Van Pelt is first introduced after one of Alan's turns on Jumanji, which releases the hunter, who immediately begins chasing him. He tells Sarah that he did not shoot her because "You didn't roll the dice. Alan did" implying he is hunting down Alan because Alan released him from the game (as part of the rules). It can also be noted that part of the reason why Van Pelt is hunting him down because Alan is not man enough to face him, since Alan is always running away from him like a coward. After he runs out of bullets, he switches his weapon at a gun shop with a sniper because his previous weapon's bullets had stopped being produced years ago. He tries to shoot Alan from a distance when he is taken in by a police officer (his childhood friend), then chases after Sarah and the kids to steal the game so Alan will come to him for it, but his plan is once again foiled by Peter. His next appearance is at the climax, when he holds both Alan and Sarah at gunpoint when he is about to throw the dices. When Van Pelt tells him to drop the dice, he orders Alan to start running again so that he can chase him. However, Alan refuses to run off this time, admitting that even though he's still scared, he no longer finds in his heart to run away from what's he afraid of and instead face it to get it over with. Amazed, Van Pelt acknowledges Alan of acting like a real man, and ask for any last words before he pulls the trigger. It was then the dice gave in the right number that allows Alan to win the game, and once he says "Jumanji", all of the animals and dangers of the game are sucked back to it, including Van Pelt himself, much to his dismay. Animated series Van Pelt returns as a recurring villain in the animated series based on the movie. He is revealed to be a part of the game, and when he actually dies in an episode, Peter starts to become him little by little, but is saved by Judy and Alan. His later appearances are usually about hunting the heroes and failing constantly. Personality Van Pelt is merciless and cruel, trying at all costs to hunt his prey to the very end. He hunts men and animals to display them on his wall. His constant attempts of hunting Alan might be associated to Alan's cowardice, or Van Pelt's tastes for human hunting. In the series, as he is part of the game and, unlike the movie, never leaves the jungle, his moral and role are even more twisted. As he is a vital part of the game's mechanic, if he somehow dies (he can, indeed, die in the animated series, although it is very difficult to do so), the victor will immediately take his role (which almost happened to Peter). Also, later in the series, and not much unlike the movie, he begins to learn the game's mechanics. Although, in this case, since he never left the jungle, he understands it a little more, knowing exactly how to act according to the rules and even use it to his advantage. Quotes Category:Males Category:Jumanji Characters Category:Jumanji Villains